There was a certain Professor of Religion named Dr Christianson, a studious man who
taught at
a small college in the western United States. Dr.
Christianson taught the required course in Christianity at this particular institution. Every student was required to
take this course his or her freshman year, regardless
of his or her major.
Although
Dr Christianson tried hard to communicate the essence of the gospel in his
class, he found that most of his students looked
upon the course as nothing but required drudgery.
Despite his best efforts, most students refused to take Christianity seriously.
This
year, Dr. Christianson had a special student named Steve. Steve was only a
freshman, but was studying with the intent of going onto
seminary for the ministry. Steve was popular, he was
well liked, and he was an imposing physical
specimen. He was on the school
football team, and was the best student in the
professor's class. One day, Dr. Christianson asked Steve
to stay after class so he could talk with him.
"How many push-ups can you do?"
Steve
said, "I do about 200 every night."
"200? That's pretty good, Steve," Dr. Christianson said. "Do you think you
could do 300?"
Steve
replied, "I don't know.. I've never done 300 at a time."
"Do
you think you could?" again asked Dr. Christianson.
"I can try," said Steve.
"Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I have a class project in mind and I need you to do about
300 push-ups in sets of ten for this to work.
Can you do it? I need you to tell me you can do
it," said the
professor.
Steve
said, "I think I can...yeah, I can do it"
Dr.
Christianson said, "Good! I need you to do this on Friday. Let me explain what I have
in mind."
Friday
came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the room. When class
started, the professor pulled out a big box of
donuts.
No,
these weren't the normal kinds of donuts, they were the extra fancy BIG kind, with
cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was
pretty excited it was Friday, the last class of the
day, and they were going to get an early start on
the weekend with a party in Dr. Christianson's
class.
Dr.
Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked, "Cynthia, do you
want to have
one of these donuts?"
Cynthia
said, "Yes."
Dr.
Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten
push-ups so that
Cynthia can have a donut?"
"Sure." Steve jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve again sat in his
desk. Dr.
Christianson put a donut on Cynthia's desk.
Dr.
Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, "Joe, do you want a
donut?"
Joe
said, "Yes." Dr. Christianson asked, "Steve would you do ten push-ups so Joe
can have a
donut?"
Steve
did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut. And so it went, down the first aisle, Steve did
ten
pushups for every person before they got
their donut.
Walking
down the second aisle, Dr. Christianson came to Scott. Scott was on the basketball team, and in as good condition as
Steve. He was very popular and never lacking for
female companionship.
When the
professor asked, "Scott do you want a donut?"
Scott's
reply was, "Well, can I do my own pushups?"
Dr.
Christianson said, "No, Steve has to do them."
Then
Scott said, "Well, I don't want one then."
Dr.
Christianson shrugged and then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do
ten pushups so
Scott can have a donut he doesn't
want?"
With perfect obedience Steve started to do ten
pushups.
Scott
said, "HEY! I said I didn't want one!"
Dr.
Christianson said, "Look, this is my classroom, my class, my desks, and these are
my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you
don't want it." And he put a donut on Scott's
desk.
Now by
this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just stayed on the floor
between sets
because it took too much effort to be
getting up and down. You could start to see a little
perspiration
coming out around his brow.
Dr.
Christianson started down the third row. Now the students were beginning to get a
little angry. Dr. Christianson asked Jenny,
"Jenny, do you want a donut?"
Sternly,
Jenny said, "No."
Then Dr.
Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten more push-ups so Jenny can
have a
donut that she doesn't want?" Steve did
ten....Jenny got a donut.
By now,
a growing sense of uneasiness filled the room. The students were beginning to say
"No"
and there were all these uneaten donuts on
the desks.
Steve
also had to really put forth a lot of extra effort to get these pushups done for
each donut. There began to be a small pool of
sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and
brow were beginning to get red because of the physical
effort involved.
Dr.
Christianson asked Robert, who was the most vocal unbeliever in the class, to watch
Steve do each push up to make sure he did the full
ten pushups in a set because he couldn't bear to
watch all of Steve's work for all of those uneaten
donuts. He sent Robert over to where Steve was so
Robert could count the set and watch Steve closely.
Dr.
Christianson started down the fourth row. During his class, however, some students
from other classes had wandered in and sat down on the
steps along the radiators that ran down the sides
of the room. When the professor realized this, he
did a quick count and saw that now there were 34
students
in the room. He started to worry if Steve
would be able to make it
Dr.
Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next.
Near the
end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was taking a lot
more time to complete each set. Steve
asked Dr Christianson, "Do I have to make my nose touch on each one?"
Dr.
Christianson thought for a moment, "Well, they're your pushups You are in charge now.
You can do them any way that you want." And Dr.
Christianson went on.
A few
moments later, Jason, a recent transfer student, came to the room and was about to
come in when all the students yelled in one voice,
"NO! Don't come in! Stay out!"
Jason
didn't know what was going on. Steve picked up his head and said, "No, let
him come."
Professor Christianson said, "You realize that if Jason comes in you will have to do ten
pushups for him?"
Steve
said, "Yes, let him come in. Give him a donut"
Dr.
Christianson said, "Okay, Steve, I'll let you get Jason's out of the way right now.
Jason, do you want a donut?"
Jason,
new to the room, hardly knew what was going on. "Yes," he said,
"give me a donut."
"Steve, will you do ten push-ups so that Jason can have a donut?"
Steve did ten
pushups very slowly and with great effort. Jason, bewildered,
was handed a donut and sat down.
Dr.
Christianson finished the fourth row, and then started on those visitors seated by the heaters. Steve's arms were now shaking with
each push-up in a struggle to lift himself
against the force of gravity. By this time sweat was
profusely dropping off of his face, there was no sound
except his heavy breathing; there was not a dry eye
in the room.
The very
last two students in the room were two young women, both cheerleaders, and very popular. Dr. Christianson went to Linda, the
second to last, and asked, "Linda, do you want
a doughnut?"
Linda
said, very sadly, "No, thank you."
Professor Christianson quietly asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Linda can
have a
donut she doesn't want?"
Grunting from
the effort, Steve did ten very slow pushups for Linda.
Then Dr
Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. "Susan, do you want a
donut?"
Susan,
with tears flowing down her face, began to cry. "Dr. Christianson, why can't I
help him?"
Dr. Christianson,
with tears of his own, said, "No, Steve has to do it alone, I have
given him this task and he is in charge of seeing that
everyone has an opportunity for a donut whether they want
it or not. When I decided to have a party this
last day of class, I looked my grade
book. Steve here is the only student with a perfect grade. Everyone
else has failed a test, skipped class, or offered me
inferior work. Steve told me that in football
practice, when a player messes up he must do push-ups. I
told Steve that none of you could come to my party
unless he paid the price by doing your push ups. He
and I made a deal for your sakes."
"Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Susan can have a donut?"
As Steve very slowly
finished his last pushup, with the understanding that he
had accomplished all that was required of him,
having done 350 pushups, his arms buckled beneath
him and he fell to the floor.
Dr.
Christianson turned to the room and said, "And so it was, that our Savior, Jesus Christ, on the cross, plead to the Father, 'into thy
hands I commend my spirit.' With the understanding
that He had done everything that was required of
Him, He yielded up His life. And like some of those
in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk, uneaten."
Two students helped Steve up
off the floor and to a seat, physically exhausted, but
wearing a thin smile.
"Well done, good and faithful servant," said the professor, adding "Not all sermons
are preached
in words."
Turning
to his class, the professor said, "My wish is that you might understand and fully comprehend all the riches of grace and mercy
that have been given to you through the sacrifice
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He spared not
His only Begotten Son, but gave Him up for us all,
for the whole Church, now and forever. Whether or
not we choose to accept His gift to us, the price
has been paid.
Wouldn't you be foolish and ungrateful to leave it lying on the desk?"
